By CESAR JOLITO III

The national government has released P25 million in direct calamity assistance to 5,000 residents in Negros Occidental affected by the series of eruptions of Kanlaon Volcano, underscoring ongoing efforts to support recovery while long-term rehabilitation plans are being finalized.

The Presidential Action Center (PACe) distributed over the weekend the financial aid — P5,000 per beneficiary — through its Presidential Help Desk on Wheels in La Carlota City and La Castellana, two of the most affected areas.

The assistance covered residents from La Carlota City, Bago City and La Castellana (with 1,500 beneficiaries each), as well as Pontevedra (300), San Carlos City (100), Murcia (50), and Moises Padilla (50).

PACe Director Ryan Joseph Sarte emphasized that the program’s goal is to deliver “direct and concrete help” to communities impacted by calamities.

La Carlota City Mayor Jose Luis Jalandoni welcomed the support, pledging closer collaboration with the national government.

La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor extended his gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., noting that the municipality remains the hardest-hit by Kanlaon’s eruptions.

La Castellana still maintains an evacuation center housing 61 families, or 213 individuals, living within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone.

A relocation site is now being secured by the provincial government for their permanent resettlement.

Kanlaon erupted significantly on June 3 and December 9, 2024, displacing thousands for more than eight months in evacuation centers.

While the alert level was lowered from 3 to 2 in July 2025, allowing about 4,000 displaced persons outside the danger zone to return home, authorities stress that recovery efforts remain critical.

Earlier this month, the Regional Task Force’s National Task Force Kanlaon for Recovery and Development, led by the Office of Civil Defense, submitted consolidated rehabilitation plans for affected localities.

These include resettlement, livelihood support and infrastructure rehabilitation programs.

Marcos Jr. created the National Task Force Kanlaon in April 2025 to coordinate and monitor recovery initiatives, ensuring that both immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation are delivered effectively.

Local leaders say the P25-million payout provides much-needed relief but stress that rebuilding lives and communities in the shadow of Kanlaon will depend on sustained national and local government cooperation./CJ, WDJ